Ruffling attachment for sewing machines



June 17, 1941.

v. J. SIGODA 2,245,877

RUFFLING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Dec. 23, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. VICTOR 4/. 5/6ODA BY g M ATTORNEY.

June 17, 1941. v J SIGODA 2,245,877

RUFFLING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Dec. 23, 1959 v 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q'- 45 i #1 4, I

\r *u 19 10 i6 40 e) 38 1 44 I I /f/ T r ll 27 17 49 42 51 52 j g 0 INVENTOR.

V/c TOR d 5/ao0A June 17, 1941. v. J. SIGODA RUFFLING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Filed Dec. 23, 1939 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. V/c TOR MJ/GODA BY 77{ g g TTORNEY.

Patented June 17, 1941 RUFFLING ATTACHIVIENT FOR SEWING MACHINES Victor J. 'Sigoda, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to Man- Sew Pinking Attachment Corp.', New York," N. Y., a corporation of New York Application December 23, 1939., Serial No. 310,844

14 Claims.

This invention relates to rufiiing or gathering attachments for sewing machines and has for its general object and purpose to' provide asimple and inexpensive attachment of this character easily applicable to the head of .a standard type sewing machine without mechanical alteration thereof and which is particularly designed for high speed operation in the large scale manufacture of women's garments and analogous products.

Ruiilingv attachments operable from the needle bar of the sewing machine are Well known in the art. Their utility however is largely confined to home sewing machines operating at relatively low speeds. Such attachments are unsuitable for high speed operation in competitive garment manufacture, and therefore, other ruflling mechanisms were developed, operable from an .eccentricon the main shaft of the machine. Machines of the latter type were, however, quite expensive, and since the use of gathering or rufiiing on garments is not continuously in vogue, many manufacturers did the ordinary sewing on a high speed standard type machine,

- and then applied the milled or gathered material,

previously made on a low speed machine or separately purchased, in a second operation. For many reasons, this method is objectionable, and also materially adds to the manufacturing cost of the garment.

In both of these prior art developments, the gathered or ruflled material was moved into position upon the base fabric to be stitched thereto in the down stroke of the needle. In high speed operation, this frequently resulted in the needle point striking the milling blade, and being broken or deflected thereby. It is therefore an important object of my invention to provide a rufiling or gathering attachment of the above character operable at high speeds and in which the gathers or ruiiles are positively formed and fed to the feed mechanism of the sewing machine beneath the presser foot in the up stroke of the needle bar.

Another object of the invention is to provide operating means for the movable ruflling blade which may be easily connected with the needle bar of a standard sewing machine together with means for regulating the stroke of the milling blade to provide a desired predetermined spacing of the ruffles.

It is an additional object of the invention to provide simple and easily operable means for intermittently actuating the milling mechanism during operation of the sewing machine, and for also rendering said rufiling or gathering mechanism inoperative when it is desired to use the machine for ordinary sewing.

Itis also a further. general object of my invent'ion to provide a rufiling or gathering attachment for sewing machines as above characterized which is so mounted and arranged with respect to the sewing machine presser foot that it may be used in combination with various other attachments, such as binders, folders, edge vpinkers etc.

With the above and other objects in View, the invention consists in the improved, rufiling attachment for sewing machines and in the form, construction and relative arrangement of its severalparts, as will hereinafter be more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and subsequently incorporated in the subjoined claims.

In the drawings wherein I have illustrated several simple and practical embodiments of the invention and in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout theseveral views:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a sewing machine of standard make having one embodiment of my new rufiling attachment applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, the face plate of the housing for the operating mechanism being removed and showing the ruffiing blade in its retracted position.

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the ruflling blade in its advanced position in the up stroke of the needle to dispose the gathered material beneath the presser foot.

.Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 4 -4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken substantially on the line 55 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a detail horizontal section taken on the line 66 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a detailside elevation showing a modified mounting and arrangement of the milling blade with respect to the sewing machine presser foot.

Fig. 8 is a similar view showing the milling blade in retracted position, and

' Fig. 9 is a horizontal section taken on the line 99 of Fig. '7.

Referring in detail to the drawings, 5 indicates the usual sewing machine arm extending horizontally from the upper end of a vertical pedestal which is integrally formed with or suitably mounted upon the machine table or bed plate :6 at its lower end. The other end of the arm 5 is formed with the usual guide head 1 for the vertically vibrating needle bar 8 and the presser foot bar 9. The main shaft III is suitably mounted within the arm and driven by the belt wheel II, connected with the operating motor (not shown). This main shaft is provided with conventional actuating means indicated at I2 for the needle bar 8.

The end of the guide head I is closed by the usual face plate, and in the application of my improved ruflling or gathering attachment, this face plate is removed, and the attachment unit substituted therefor. This unit includes the casting, generally indicated at |3 which is formed with the plate section l4, substantially a counterpart of the standard face plate for the guide head I. Thus after said face plate is removed, the plate section I4 of said casting may be securely attached to the head I by the same attaching screws |5 which secured the face plate to the guide head.

The casting l3 also includes a housing section l5 which projects rearwardly from the plate section M with respect to the arm 5. The open side of this housing section It is closed by a removable sheet metal face plate 11 so that all of the movable operating parts for the ruflling blade are completely concealed and protected, while permitting of easy access thereto should occasion require. Within the outline of the housing, the plate section I4 is provided with a vertical elongated opening |8 through which the operating connections between the milling mechanism and needle bar are made.

The front lower end portion of the casting I3 is formed with a suitable bearing I9. In this bearing the independently rotatable outer tubular shaft 20 and inner shaft 2| are mounted, said shafts being disposed in parallel relation to the bed plate 6 and the shaft 2| having end portions extending beyond the tubular shaft 20. Upon one end of said tubular shaft a downwardly extending arm 22 is detachably secured and on the lower end of this arm and projecting therefrom toward the needle bar 8, the rufllmg blade 23 is pivotally mounted at its upper end. The other end of said blade is toothed as indicated at 24 and a suitable spring 25 yieldingly urges said toothed end of the blade downwardly upon the fabric material to be rufiled or gathered as it moves over the upper surface of the stationary plate 26. The latter plate may be supported in any suitable manner above the surface of the table or bed plate 5 of the machine. For this purpose, I have herein shown an arm 21 with which the plate 26 may be integrally formed, said arm having a laterally extending cylindrical pin 28 at one end to be detachably and rigidly secured in a clamping sleeve 29 suitably fixed to the Wall of the housing I6. One end of the plate 25 is positioned closely adjacent to the front end of the presser foot 30 on the lower end of the bar 9 and the needle 3| on the lower end of bar 8 which operates through the usual opening in said presser foot. The front end 38 of the presser foot is inclined upwardly and extends over said end of the plate 26, which is also toothed or serrated as shown at 32.

The upper pivoted end of the rufiling blade 23 is formed with the part 33 projecting from the opposite side of the pivot with respect to the blade which is adapted for engagement by the depending arm 34 detachably fixed at its upper end to the corresponding end of the shaft 2|, for a purpose which will be later explained.

The casting I3 is formed with a suitable bearing 35 for a rock shaft 36. To one end of this shaft within the housing IS an arm 31 is suitably fixed at one of its ends. The other end of this arm is pivotally connected with the upper end of the link 38, the lower end of which is pivotally connected with a split collar 39 which is rigidly attached to the needle bar 8. The end of the lever which is attached to the rock shaft 36 has rigidly fixed thereto an angular bracket member 4|]. This bracket member is also arranged out of parallel relation with the arm 3'! and to one end thereof an end of the rod 4| is rigidly connected. Upon this rod a block 42 is slideably mounted, said block having a part slideably engaged in the longitudinal slot 44 of a lever 43, said block however permitting of relative angular movement between said lever and the rod 4|.

The lower end of the lever 43 is rigidly secured to the other end of the tubular shaft 20 so that as rocking movement is imparted to said shaft in the vertical reciprocation of the needle bar, oscillatory motion will be transmitted to the ruffling blade 23.

For the purpose of regulating the stroke of the rufiling blade, or rendering the same inoperative when desired, I provide means for adjusting the position of the slide block 42 relative to the upper end of the lever 43. This means comprises a rock shaft 45 mounted at one of its ends in a suitable bearing 46 on the inner side wall of the housing l6 and at its other end in a bearing 41 which is attached to the usual cover plate indicated at 48 for the side opening in the pedestal end of the arm 5. To the end of this rock shaft within the housing I6 the upper end of an arm 49 is fixed. The lower end of this arm is connected by link 58 with the slide block 42. A second link 5| also connects said end of the arm 49 with the upper end of the lever 52 which is rigidly fixed at its lower end to the end of the shaft 2| within the housing I6. A coil spring 53 has one of its ends attached to said lever 52 and its other end attached to the wall of the housing i6, said spring tending to yieldingly resist relative angular movement of the link 5| and lever 52 in one direction.

Exteriorly of the housing IS, an arm 54 is fixed at one end to the shaft 45 and'at its other end is formed with a slotted quadrant 55 movable upon a stud 56 fixed in the housing wall. 'llhis stud is provided with a threaded section receiving the clamping member 5'! bearing against the quadrant 55. The quadrant may be provided with a suitable index movable in relation to graduations on the housing wall so that the slide block 42 may be fixed in a predetermined adjusted position relative to the pivotal axis of the arm 31. It will be noted from reference to Fig. 3 that the lever 43 and slot 44 therein are of such length that the slide block 42 may be moved along rod 4| to a position in coaxial relation with the rock shaft 36 to which arm 31 is connected so that no movement would be imparted to the lever 43 in the reciprocation of needle bar 8 and therefore the ruffling blade 23 would not be actuated.

To the other end of the shaft 45 a lever arm 58 is fixed at one of its ends. This arm may be connected With a suitable foot treadle (not shown) so that by loosening the clamping member 51, the operator may at any time shift the slide block 42 to its neutral position when, in the manufacture of certain garments, it is decareers sired to execute intermittent ruffling or gathering during the sewing operation.

It will of course be understood that the machine is provided with the usual four-motion feed mechanism with which the presser foot 30 cooperates. In the operation of the rufiiing attachment above described, the slide block 42 may be first adjusted with respect to the axis of the .arm 43 and secured in its adjusted position by the clamping member 51 whereby the throw of the rufliing blade 23 and the width of the gathers or ruffies formed thereby is predetermined. The base fabric to which the rufiled material is to be stitched is fed over the table or base plate 6 of the machine beneath plate. 2.6 .and the presser foot 30. This plate 26 provides a yieldable base with which the toothed end of. the rufiiing blade 23 cooperates to grip the material fed through a suitable guide on said plate and gather or rufile said material in the movementof the blade 23 towards the presser foot and needle 3|. From reference to Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings, it willbe seen that in the up strokeof the needle bar 8 a counterclockwise motion is imparted to the arm 31 and rod 41 so that clockwise rotation is transmitted to shaft 20 through the slide block 42 and lever 43. The toothed end of milling blade 23 is yieldingly urged by spring 25 upon the material on plate 2.6 and as the arm '22 is thus oscillated,

said blade is moved towards the front end of the presser foot 30 to thereby form a gather or ruffle in the material during the up stroke of the needle. At the end of the needle up stroke, the toothed end of the blade 23 passes beyond the toothed end 32 of the plate 26 so that the ruflle formed in the material will be caught and held between. the under side of the presser foot and the teeth 3.2 as the blade 23 is retracted in the downward stroke of the needle bar 8. The operation of the feed mechanism is so timed that substantially at the start of this retracting movement of the ruffiing blade, the feed dogs grip the base material and feed the same together with the formed rufiie beneath the presser foot 30 so as to position said ruflle for penetration by the stitch forming needle 3! in its downward movement through the presser foot and the throat plate of the machine. At this time the rufliing blade 23 is substantially in its fully retracted position. Therefore, it is unnecessary to provide the usual opening in the toothed edge of the ruffling blade and to cutaway the presser foot 30 in order to provide clearance for the needle, as is usual in prior art mechanisms of this character in which the ruffled material is fed to stitching position in the down stroke of the needle bar. Therefore, the full effective gripping area of the presser foot 3|] in cooperation with the feed dogs is preserved, resulting in a more reliable and positive feed of the material. Obviously also, the invention obviates all liability of the needle point striking the ruffling blade and being bent or broken in the high speed operation of the machine. As above noted, for intermittent ruffling, shaft 45 may be operated to shift the slide block 42 to its neutral position so that the operation of the rufiling mechanism is discontinued without interruption of the operation of the needle bar 8 for ordinary sewing. When the slide block is thus moved to the neutral position, lever 52 rotates shaft 21 in an anti-clockwise direction so that the lower end ofarm 34 engages the part 33 and oscillates the ruiiiing blade 23 against the action of spring 25 to lift or elevate the toothed end of said blade out of contact with the material moving over plate 26.

. In Fig'sfl, 8 and 9 of the drawings, I have shown an alternative embodiment, in which the plate 60 together with the guide 6| for the material to be gathered or ruflied are fixedly mounted at one endin the clamp 29 in a vertically oblique position with respect to the needle bar. In this case, a relatively short presser foot 30 is used, and the lower end of the plate 60 is toothed as at 62 and terminates .closely adjacent to the front end of the presser foot. Said end of the plate is centrally provided with a notch or recess 63 mating with a similar notch or recess 64 in the end of the presserfoot .to accommodate the needle 3| in its vertical reciprocation. The rufiiing blade 65 is mounted on the oscillatory arm 22 at one end, in the manner above described and has resilient bearing contact at its other end with the front surface of the plate 60 below the guide 6|. This lower toothed end of the blade 65 thus presses the material moving through guide 6| against said plate as the blade moves downwardly thereon in theup stroke of the needle bar '8 to form the gather or ruflie, as seen in Fig. '7 and project the same beneath the toothed lower end of the plate 68 and the front end of presser foot 30 upon the base material. As the needle bar 8 moves downwardly, the end of the ruffiing blade 65 moves upwardly upon the plate 60 as the material is fed beneath the presser foot in the operation of the feed mechanism so that the formed ruflie is properly positioned with respect to the downwardly moving needle to be stitched to the base fabric or material. For certain practical purposes, this latter form of the invention may be found preferable. By reason of the obliquely inclined relation of the blade 60 and guide 6| to the needle bar 8 and the operative movements of the ruffling blade with respect thereto, unobstructed vision is possible, and the materials may be directed and guided as they are fed beneath the presserfoot 3B in various curved paths so as to produce gathered or ruified ruching, applied to the base material in various ornamental designs.

From the foregoing description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings it will be seen that I have provided a gathering or rufiling attachment for sewing machines which comprises a very simple mechanical unit capable of easy and quick application to standard sewing machines now in general use in the art for connection with the vertically reciprocating needle bar thereof, without necessitating structural a1- terations or changes of any kind in the machine. The operating mechanism for the ruffling blade is compactly housed within a casting of simple and ornamental design which may be substituted for the conventional face plate closing the open side of the needle guide head. When the machine is to be used for ordinary sewing, the arms 22 and 34 may be easily detached from the shafts 20 and 2| respectively and the plate 26 also removed so that these parts will not obstruct the vision or interfere with the free feeding movement of the fabric material to the presser foot of the machine.

It will be appreciated that a mechanism for actuating the milling blade as above described is admirably adapted for high speed operation. Actual tests of both embodiments of the present disclosure upon the Singer class -100 sewing machines operating at 4,200 stitches per minute, have demonstrated that the ruffling operations are performed with a very high degree of accuracy and that the mechanism operates at tinuous and intermittent ruffling or gathering. It has also been found that this actuating mechanism for the rufiling blade does not disturb the dynamic balance of the needle operating mechanism of such standard sewing machines. It will further be evident that the ruiiling or gathering attachment embodying my present improvements may be advantageously used in combination with other sewing machine attachments, such as pinkers, binders, folders and the like.

I have herein shown and described several practical embodiments of the present invention which have given highly satisfactory results in actual use. Nevertheless, it is to be understood that the essential features of my invention might also be exemplified in various other combinations and arrangements of the several cooperating elements, and that the structural form of said elements is also susceptible of considerable modification. Accordingly, it is to be understood that in many respects the present disclosure is largely illustrative and that I reserve the privilege of incorporating the invention in various other alternative embodiments, as may be fairly considered as within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with a sewing machine having a vertically vibrating needle bar and feed mechanism, an oscillatably supported material ruffling blade, an actuatin lever for said blade, an arm pivotally mounted at one end, means operatively connecting the other end of said arm with the needle bar, and means operatively connecting the pivoted end of said arm with said lever to actuate the rufiiing blade in one direction in the up stroke of the needle bar and deliver a formed rufile to the feed mechanism for movement thereby to position for penetration by the needle in the down stroke thereof, said latter means including a rod having a fixed connection with the pivoted end of said arm and extending longitudinally of said lever at the end of the down stroke of the needle, and a member adjustable along said rod and slidably connected with said lever and means for retaining said member in adjusted relation to the pivoted end of said arm to variably regulate the oscillating motion of the rufiiing blade.

2. In combination with a sewing machine having a vertically vibrating needle bar and feed mechanism, an oscillatably supported material rufiiing blade, an actuating lever for said blade, an arm pivotally mounted at one end, means operatively connecting the other end of said arm with the needle bar, and means operatively connecting the pivoted end of said arm with said lever to actuate the ruflling blade in one direction in the up stroke of the needle bar and deliver a formed rufiie to the feed mechanism for movement thereby to position for penetration by the needle in the down stroke thereof, said latter means including a rod having a fixed connection with the pivoted end of said arm, and a member adjustable along said rod and slidably connected with said lever, means for adjusting said member along said rod towards and from a neutral position with respect to the pivotal axis of said arm, and means connected with and actuated by said adjusting means for moving the rufiling blade out of engagement with the material when said adjustable member is moved to a neutral position.

, 3. In combination with a sewing machine arm having a needle bar guide head, a ruflling at tachment comprising a housing attached to and closing one side of the guide head, a shaft oscillatably mounted in the lower end of said housing, a rufiiing blade operatively connected with said shaft, actuating mechanism for said shaft enclosed within said housing and including a vertically oscillating arm pivotally. mounted at one of its ends on the housing wall, and means operatively connecting said arm at its other end to the needle bar of the sewing machine.

4. A rufliing attachment for sewing machines comprising a housing having an attaching plate adapted to be secured to one side of the needle bar guide head of a standard sewing machine, a ruffling blade oscillatably supported upon the lower end of said housing, and actuating means for said ruining blade within the housing including a vertically oscillatable member adapted to be operatively connected with the needle bar of the sewing machine.

5. In combination with a sewing machine arm having an access opening at one end, a unitary rufiiing attachment comprising a housing formed withan attaching plate on one side thereof and secured to the end of said arm to close theaccess opening, said plate having an opening therein communicating with the interior of the housing, on oscillatable rufiling blade mounted on the lower end of said housing, and actuating means for said blade enclosed within the housing and including a part extending laterally through said opening in the attaching plate and connected with a movable element of the sewing machine mechanism.

6. In combination with a standard sewing machine having an arm provided with a needle bar guide head having an access opening extending laterally through the end wall thereof, a unitary ruflling attachment comprising a housing having an attaching plate formed on one side thereof secured to the guide head and closing said opening, said plate having an opening therein communicating with the interior of the housing, said housing at its lower end having a part projecting forwardly of the sewing machine arm, a ruffling blade oscillatably supported thereon, and actuating mechanism for said blade enclosed within said housing and including a part extending through the opening in the attaching plate and connected with a movable element of the sewin machine mechanism,

'7. In combination with a standard sewing machine arm and needle operating mechanism mounted therein, a rufiiing attachment unit and means securing said attachment as an assembled unit to the end face of said arm, said unit including a movable ruflling blade and actuating means therefor, comprising an arm pivotally mounted at one end and means operatively connecting said arm at its other end with a part of the needle operating mechanism, an actuating member, means operatively connecting said member at one of its ends with said rufiiing blade, and means connected with the pivoted end of said arm extending in a plane parallel therewith and operable in the oscillating motion of said arm to impart relative movement to said actuating member.

8. In combination with a sewing machine having a vertically vibrating needle bar and feed mechanism, an oscillatably supported rufiling blade, an actuating lever for said blade, an arm pivotally mounted at one end. means operatively connecting the other end of said arm with the needle bar, and means operatively connecting the pivoted end of said arm with said lever to actuate the ruflling blade in one direction in the up stroke of the needle bar and deliver a formed rufile to the feed mechanism for movement thereby to position for penetration by the needle in the down stroke thereof, said latter means including a member and means for adjusting said member longitudinally of the lever toward and from the pivoted end of said arm to variably regulate the oscillating motion of said ruiiling blade.

9. In combination with a sewing machine having a vertically vibrating needle bar and feed mechanism, an oscillatably supported ruiiling blade, an actuating lever for said blade, an arm pivotally mounted at one end, means operatively connecting the other end of said arm with the needle bar, and means operatively connecting the pivoted end of said arm with said lever to actuate the ruliling blade in one direction in the up stroke of the needle bar and deliver a formed rufile to the feed mechanism for movement thereby to position for penetration by the needle in the down stroke thereof, said latter means including a rod having a fixed connection with the pivoted end of said arm, a member adjustable along said rod and slidably connected with said lever, and means for adjusting said member with respect to said rod and lever towards and from a neutral position relative to the pivotal axis of said arm.

10. In combination with a sewing machine arm and vertically vibrating needle bar mounted in the end thereof, a ruiiling attachment comprisingv a housing open at one side, a rufiiing blade, actuating mechanism therefor enclosed within said housing, means for attaching said housing and mechanism mounted therein, said attachment comprising a housing having an open side provided with means whereby saidhousing: may be attached to the end face of the sewing machine arm, a rufiiing blade mounted on the housing, and actuating mechanism for said blade enclosed within the housing and including a part operatively connectible through the open side of the housing with a part of the needle operating mechanism.

12. A flat, shallow, elongated housing adapted to be vertically positioned transversely of the end face of the needle guide head of a standard sewing machine arm and attached to said arm, ruflier actuating mechanism within said housing, and a side wall of the housing having an opening therein for the accommodation of an operating connection between a part of the needle operating mechanism and a part of said ruffler actuating mechanism.

13. In combination with actuating mechanism for a rufliing blade, a housing structure in which said mechanism is operatively mounted and concealed and said structure including a part corresponding to the conventional face plate of the needle bar guide head of a standard sewing machine and attachable in lieu thereof to said head to position said mechanism for operative connection with a power driven part of the sewing machine.

14. In combination with ruffling mechanism having a rufiling blade and an oscillatory operating shaft therefor,a housing onwhichsaidshaft is mounted, and means enclosed within said housing for variably controlling the oscillatory motion of said shaft to regulate the throw of the ruifling blade, including a lever connected at one end to said shaft and operating means for said lever, comprising a power operated member longitudinally slidable on said lever, and means connected with said member and operable from the exterior of the housing to adjustably position said member on the lever in predetermined spaced relation from said oscillatory shaft.

VICTOR J. SIGODA. 

